CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW RETROACTIVE JOINT CREDIT WILL WORK?
An important provision in the JQS is that Airmen can apply for retroactive joint credit. This applies to both active and reserve forces ... however, the timeframe for reservists extends further back - to implementation of Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. The retroactive provision for joint experience will run from Oct. 1, 2007 to Sept. 30, 2013. After that time a reservist may not be eligible to self-nominate their past experiences. Experience gained after Oct. 1, 2007 will need to be submitted for consideration within one year from date of return.
COULD RESERVE COMPONENT MEMBERS PLAY IN EITHER THE STANDARD OR EXPERIENCE-BASED JOINT DUTY ASSIGNMENT?
Yes, a reserve component Airmen might apply for joint credit through either the standard or the experienced-based path. Currently, the reserve components do not have any billets on the Joint Duty Assignment List, however, sometimes a reservist is assigned to a JDAL position. Thus, a reservist might begin in a standard joint duty assignment and acquire cumulative experience that may at some point be converted to points via the experience-based path.
DO ALL JOINT JOBS COUNT AS JOINT? (DO THEY ALL COUNT IF THEY ARE AT A JOINT LOCATION OR DO THEY NOT COUNT IF THEY ARE DOING AF WORK? WHO DECIDES?)
No, not all jobs in joint agencies or activities will count as "joint." The preponderance of the duties have to relate to the definition of joint matters. An example of a job that might fit in this category would be an MEO instructor working at DEOMI. Although the agency might be joint, or staffed by individuals from the other services, it doesn't mean the work they perform is "joint."
To answer the second part of that question ... a position may be joint even if the work being performed is in a service billet (which wouldn't count now under the standard joint duty assignment), as long as those duties fit the new definition of joint matters.
Who Decides?
Well that's a tough question. The Joint Qualification System is set up to have review at successive levels. The service is responsible for reviewing self-nominations from the system and validating at their level it is joint. From there the package goes to the Joint Staff who is responsible for reviewing, validating, preparing the packages for a panel to review and approving or denying the requested joint credit.
DOES THE JQS REPLACE THE CURRENT JOINT ASSIGNMENT SYSTEM?
No, the JQS operationalizes the concepts and strategic vision for Joint Officer Development and JOM. The JQS is a total force initiative - allowing reserve component officers to gain an equivalent level of joint credit based upon an accumulation of joint experiences.
- JQS is NOT an "express lane" to joint qualification.
- JQS continues to require the services to maintain the Section 664 tour length average for officers serving in [traditional] Joint Duty Assignment List positions (36 months for O-6 & below; 24 months for general/flag officers)
HOW DO WE APPLY FOR JOINT DUTY CREDIT?
OSD has created a Web site which allows officers to self-nominate their experiences.
Answer several prescreening questions on this site. Based on responses, Airmen may be granted access to the self-nomination module. After gaining access, they will fill out information by filling in text blocks or selecting from drop down menus. When they've completed filling in the information, this will create their Joint Experience Summary, and they will be directed to provide documentation which shows proof of experiences. Documentation may come in the form of CED orders, awards, decorations, evaluation reports, etc.
When Airmen complete those steps, they will submit their information and a notification will be sent to the Air Force Reserve point of contact. A personnel representative will extract the information from the system and will review for points. Once the personnel rep reviews supporting documentation and validates experiences, the information will be packaged (probably quarterly) and staffed to the Joing Staff or OSD for review and approval. Once ARPC receives approval, they will send the Airman an update. Because of the MilPDS moratorium and projected DIMHRS implementation, it may be a while before the official personnel record can be updated. However, both the Air Force Reserve and the Joint Staff will maintain a record of the joint experience points/level earned.
HOW MANY OFFICERS DO WE HAVE IN JOINT POSITIONS/JOINT ACTIVITIES?
Almost 800.
HOW WILL NATIONAL WAR COLLEGE, ICAF AND ARMY AND NAVY WAR COLLEGES WORK IN THE WAY OF POINTS SINCE THEY ARE JOINT?
Points are not awarded to JPME granting schools. JPME is one facet needed to gain joint qualification. It's a "must have." The other facet is joint experience which is gained through an assignment or a deployment(s). Other education/training, and participation in exercises is a third category. Knowledge gained through this third category may also provide points, however, joint experience points (as is JPME) are mandatory.
Should this change how we assign individuals to joint jobs in the Air Force Reserve?
Absolutely! As part of a larger analysis of what this program means to the Air Force Reserve, Airmen should be careful how and when reserve component members are assigned to duty in jobs at the combatant commands, Defense Agencies, Joint Staff, etc.
Should this change how we determine who attends IDE/SDE or AJPME?
Certainly! Determining who attends IDE/SDE or AJPME as part of a larger analysis of how this program may impact other human resource programs and initiatives is something ARPC will begin to tackle. This is especially true as all in-resident Senior Service Colleges have been certified as Joint PME Level II institutions.
SINCE MANY DEPLOYMENTS ARE “JOINT” IN NATURE, HOW WILL THOSE EXPERIENCES BE WORKED INTO THE CRITERIA?
It does not matter how or where an experience occurred as long as members have documentation to prove that they participated in an activity where the preponderance of the duties pertained to joint matters. Documentation may come in the form of CED orders, awards, decorations, evaluation reports, etc.
What are the biggest challenges the JQS presents for the Air Force Reserve?
The Joint Qualification System presents many challenges for the reserve components as the tracking of joint experiences is new to them.
One issue of great importance is the updating of personnel records. Things like joint experience points, environment/intensity factor, and joint qualification levels have not been captured before. In addition, ARPC has noted several items in the current system values that need updating (JSO nomenclature, JPME, etc). They have worked with AF/A1 and AFPC to ensure Air Force Reserve specific requirements were drafted into a systems change request. They were unsuccessful in getting the MilPDS moratorium lifted, but they know what has to be done for the future DIMHRS build.
WHAT ARE THE TWO EXPERIENCE PATHS AND THE POINT ACCRUAL FORMULA?
The first path is the standard joint duty assignment (S-JDA); the other path is an experienced-based assignment (E-JDA), or a combination of assignments. The S-JDA primarily applies to the active component although a reservist might encumber a traditional joint duty assignment. Both paths require JPME II. The main difference is that a S-JDA requires a full time member (for O-6 and below) to perform three years for active component or six years for reserve componenet of duty or (for general and field grade officers) two years for active component or 4 years reserve component officers in a Joint Duty Assignment List billet. Joint experience in the E-JDA path, while dependent on months served, is actually converted to experience points (as experiences may be cumulative).
The point accrual formula represents a model used to determine E-JDA points. Basically, a joint qualification level = JPME + experience points + other points. Joint experience points = the number of months x the environment factor (3 = combat, 2 = non-combat, 1 = steady state). Other points can be derived from other education, training or participation in joint exercises. Depending on their role in an exercise, they may earn 1, 2 or 3 points (1 = participant, 2 = planner, 3 = leader). While this all seems cut and dry, ARPC is seeking clarification on this point system to help avoid confusion when they start tracking joint experience.
WHAT CONSTITUTES JOINT DUTY?
Joint experience includes any assignment or duty with direct relevance to the revised definition of joint matters IAW Title 10, Section 668. Joint Matters can be defined as follows:
Matters relating to the achievement of unified action by multiple military forces in operations conducted across domains such as land, sea or air, in space, or in the information environment, including matters relating to:
- National Military Strategy.
- Strategic planning and contingency planning.
- Command and control of operations under unified command.
- National security planning with other departments and agencies of the United States.
- Combined operations with military forces of allied nations.
In the context of joint matters, the term "multiple military forces" refers to forces that involve participants from the armed forces and one or more of the following:
- Other departments or agencies of the United States.
- The military forces or agencies of other countries.
- Nongovernmental persons or entities.
"Before Oct. 1, 2007" is the legacy definition: Matters relating to the integrated employment of land, sea and air forces, including matters relating to national military strategy, strategic and contingency planning, and command and control of combat operations under unified command.
So, what constitutes joint matters depends on timing. With the new definition, two parts are essential for determining if the experience will be considered joint: who the experience was with, and what the experience involved.
WHAT DOES GAINING JOINT CERTIFICATION DO FOR ME?
Certainly having joint experience makes Airmen more desirable ... as does command experience, HQ staff experience, experience in different commands or organizations, and so on. As we transition to a more total force environment, it will become more important for reserve component officers to have the same qualifications as their active component counterparts. Having joint experience will become one of the "whole person" discriminators in the future; it will play a role in many personnel decisions, such as assignments, training, development and yes, possibly even promotions.
WHAT IS THE JQS?
Statutory changes in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act directed the secretary of Defense to establish different levels of joint qualification, as well as criteria for each level. The OSD, Joint Staff, U.S. Joint Forces Command and the military services collaborated to produce the new Joint Qualification System, or JQS. The JQS acknowledges joint experiences, introduces a point accrual formula (which takes into account the environment and intensity where an officer works in the joint environment), establishes four qualification levels and provides the opportunity for reserve component officers to earn joint points and qualifications.
WHAT IS THE MANAGEMENT/EXECUTION PROPOSAL?
On the surface it appears the Air Force Reserve needs a comprehensive list of all of joint billets and a determination of which ones count; it also needs to be more judicious in filling PME quotas and assignments, and it needs a plan to tie this program into human resources, and specifically, force development programs.
Overall a bulk of the work will be handled at ARPC (for O-6s and below). Additionally, ARPC sees REG playing a part in support of general officers and select O-6s. Policy and procedures will probably be split between AF/REP and AFRC/A1, with execution residing at the personnel center.
What laws, regulations or instructions can I review to learn more?
The Fiscal 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (Section 516b) provides the legal impetus for the JQS.
"The Secretary of Defense shall establish different levels of joint qualification, as well as the criteria for qualification at each level. Each level shall, as a minimum, have both joint education criteria and joint experience criteria. The purpose of establishing such qualification levels is to ensure a systematic, progressive, career-long development of officers in joint matters and to ensure that officers serving as general and flag officers have the requisite experience and education to be highly proficient in joint matters."
In March 2007, OSD published the Joint Qualification System Implementation Plan and forwarded that to Congress. The implementation plan "establishes a joint force management infrastructure as dynamic as the environment in which our joint forces operate ... this plan describes a four-level JQS that provides a path for attaining joint qualification through either a traditional joint duty assignment or by accumulating an equivalent level of joint experience, education, and training over the course of a career."
Policy is captured in Department of Defense Instruction 1300.19, DOD Joint Officer Management Program, and procedures are to be captured in Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 1330.05, Joint Officer Management Program Procedures.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO EARN JOINT DUTY CREDIT?
According to CJCSI 1330.05, the JQS applies to OSD, Joint Staff, Chairmand of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-controlled activities, Combatant Commands, Defense Agencies, joint activities, military departments, NATO and U.S. elements of Combined Commands.
The JQS applies to all joint positions graded O-1 thru O-6; all military officers O-1 thru O-6; and including all active component and reserve component officers, except as follows:
- Commissioned Warrant Officers.
- Retired Commissioned Officers.
- Officers of the Coast Guard.
- Officers on an inactive status list.
- Officers in the Retired Reserve.
- The JQS also applies to general and flag officer positions and officers; however, CJCSI 1331.01 governs the management of general and flag officers.
WILL JQS GENERATE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AIR FORCE RESERVE?
Yes, according to the DODI, the reserve components will be required to report the following:
- Number of officers, by grade, who have earned full joint credit from retroactive credit.
- Number of officers, by grade, who have completed AJPME.
- Number of officers who have completed JPME II via JFSC, ICAF/NWC, and Service schools.
- Number of officers designated in the previous fiscal year as Level II, III, or IV.
- Total number of officers, holding level II, III or IV.
- Other information, as required.
WILL JQS REQUIRE A MORE COMPLETE PROGRAM FOR THE AIR FORCE RESERVE?
ARPC is not sure at this time, but it is highly probable. With any new program, ARPC tries to anticipate what effects the program may have and how the new program might fit into current efforts. With the tracking of joint experience, ARPC will want to consider its effects on other personnel programs, such as assignments, promotions, training, force development and so on. Additionally, they must look at senior level and future requirements to understand what experiences need to be developed in reserve component officers. The effort to define an appropriate Joint Officer Management Program for the Air Force Reserve will be a collaborative and on-going effort.